Junior Ranger Scout
by Sapphira11
Summary: AU-ish. Little Judy finds Little Nick in the alley after he's been muzzled by the scouts. One-shot.
A/N: After Judy's incident with Gideon, she and her family pick up and move to Zootopia, where hopefully their little girl will be safer. Little do they know she'll meet another certain fox soon after...

Changes: I made Judy and Nick the same age so that the timeline would work out. I also pretended like Judy didn't have nearly as many siblings (housing 278 rabbits in a tiny house in Zootopia would be pretty impossible).

Hope you enjoy!

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Nine-year-old Judy Hopps traipsed down the nighttime street, keeping her eyes peeled for any trouble. Her police hat was perched atop her head, and her badge gleamed in the occasional streetlight hanging over the sidewalk.

Her parents thought she was at a friend's house, but she'd just told them that so they wouldn't worry. In reality, she was on her nightly patrol, walking the streets of Zootopia in search of ways to help. It was good practice for when she became a real police officer.

Unfortunately, it had been almost a week and there had been no sign of anyone in need of a future cop. But Judy wouldn't give up hope; even just patrolling was good experience, and if someone did need her help, she didn't want to miss them. She sighed, seeing the junior ranger scouts' building up ahead. It was almost time for her to turn back.

A muffled voice came from inside the building, making Judy stop. _"You thought we would ever trust a fox without a muzzle? You're even dumber than you look!"_

Someone suddenly burst out of the doors and stumbled down the steps, crying as he ran into the alley. Judy stopped, her nose twitching with sympathy as he collapsed against the wall. Then her eyes widened. A fellow Zootopian citizen in need of help! She straightened her hat and walked up to him.

"Hey. Are you alright?" she asked, peering into the alley. Her feet stopped and she hesitated when she saw him - he was a _fox._ Gideon's claws flashed behind her eyes, and she gasped. She shuffled in place, torn between her fear and her morals.

Then she saw his face. It wasn't like Gideon Gray's, all malicious and overconfident. It was scared. And sad. And alone.

Judy huffed at herself for ever being so stupid and pressed forward. "Hello?" she called. He was struggling with something on his face - he was muzzled! He grunted and whined, trying to yank it off, and Judy ran up to help.

"Are you okay? Here, let me..." When she reached out, he flinched away from her, pressing back against the wall. She pulled back a little too and spread her hands. "It's okay, I want to help," she assured him. She quickly put a smile on her face.

He relaxed, and Judy reached out to the black bands holding the muzzle in place. He did too, and together they managed to pull the device off. The fox grabbed it and threw it across the alley, stifling more tears.

Judy touched his arm. "Hey, it's okay. Don't cry. Please don't cry." This only made him cry harder, and he buried his face in his paws, shoulders shaking. After a moment, he slid down the wall and onto the concrete. Judy got down next to him and simply sat, waiting patiently.

After a minute or so his crying subsided, and he looked up, seeming surprised she was still there. She had to look up to see his face. "What's your name?"

He sniffled. "Nick."

"I'm Judy." She smiled. "Are you a junior ranger scout?"

Tears welled in his eyes again. "I-" He glanced back to the building, then back at his hands in his lap. He sighed. "No."

Judy scooted closer and fixed her eyes up at him, prompting.

He glanced over at her, then finally sighed and explained. "Well, I was _going_ to be, but - they didn't want me."

"Why not?"

He sniffled, his voice getting watery again. "Because I'm a fox."

Indignant, Judy set her brow and put her hands on her hips. "That's ridiculous!" She spread her arms around her. "This is Zootopia! It doesn't matter what species you are, or whether you're predator or prey. Anyone can be anything."

"Unless you're a fennec fox who wants to be an elephant," Nick grumbled.

Judy huffed and was about to say something when his eyes suddenly focused in on her face. She stopped, self-conscious. "What?"

He reached out to her cheek. "What...what happened?"

Judy suddenly remembered the claw marks, only a few weeks old. She turned away, her paw going up to the scratches and brushing over them absently. "A bully." She wanted to leave it at that, but Nick gave her the same look she'd given him earlier, brow raised and prompting. She sighed. "His name was Gideon Gray."

"Was..." Nick looked afraid to ask. "Was he a predator?"

Judy looked down; she almost considered lying. She didn't. "He was a fox."

Nick blinked. He watched her, a strange look in his eyes. He finally said, "And he...scratched you?" Judy nodded. "Why?"

She shrugged. "He was bullying my friends, and I stood up to him." She lifted her chin and straightened her badge. "That's what police officers do - we stop bullies. We make the world a better place."

He noticed her outfit for the first time and sniffled, wiping an arm across his face to dry the last of his tears. "Is that why you're wearing that hat and badge?" he asked.

Judy puffed up her chest. "Yep. I'm gonna be a police officer someday," she declared proudly.

He looked her up and down and rubbed at his eyes, one brow raised. "Uh, maybe you didn't notice, but you're just a bunny," he pointed out stubbornly, shaking his head. "Bunnies don't become police officers."

 _"I want you to remember this moment the next time you think you'll ever be anything more than just a stupid, carrot-farming dumb bunny!"_ Stung and a little angry, Judy put her hands on her hips and without thinking shot back, "Well _foxes_ don't become junior ranger scouts!"

He stared at her, hurt flashing in his eyes. He visibly deflated as he turned away.

Judy gasped, her hands going to her mouth. She reached out to him. "No, I-Nick, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean that..."

"Well it's true, isn't it?" he said. His hand went up to his red scarf, tugging at the knot. "I'll never be a junior ranger scout."

She took in his ensemble - crisp olive uniform, bright red scarf, pointed ears sticking out from under a curved baseball cap - and thought that he looked like more of a junior ranger scout than anyone she'd ever met.

Judy sighed and pulled her hands back, guiltily. "That's what I'm saying. It's _not_ true." She nibbled on her lip. "Look. Maybe Gideon scratched me, and maybe no one thinks I'll ever be a police officer. But I'm not going to give up on my dreams just because other people tell me to." She put a hand on his arm. "And neither should you."

He glanced over to her, his eyes softening for a moment. Then he looked away with a shake of his head, pulling his arm back. "I can't be a junior ranger scout, and you can't be a police officer," he told her. His eyes hardened, his brow pulling down. "You can't be whatever you want. You can only be what you are."

"You can only be what you are, or you can only be what people say you should be?" Judy challenged.

Nick's gaze slowly crept back towards her, tentatively.

"It doesn't matter what everyone else says," she said. She stood and smiled at him. "It only matters if you believe them or if you believe in yourself."

He didn't let her see it, but she caught the barest glimpse of a smile. She smiled, too; she was glad she went on patrol that night.

Judy absently checked her watch and gasped. "It's late! I've gotta finish up my patrol," she told him.

Nick blinked, impressed. "You're on patrol?"

"Sure am," she said, getting taller again. "Future police officer, remember? Making the world a better place." But her excitement was suddenly dampened, a strange feeling tightening in her chest. She didn't want to leave him.

"Okay," he said. She nodded once, then slowly made herself turn around.

"Hey, Judy?"

She immediately turned back. "Yeah?"

"Making the world a better place, huh?" he echoed, and she nodded. Nick's mouth turned up hopefully. "Got any room on your patrol for a junior ranger scout?"

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A/N: And that's it! Thank you so much for reading. All reviews are greatly appreciated! :)


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